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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Germany urgently needs to attract migrant workers – it just doesn't want them to feel welcome
Friedrich Merz's government has sent a clear message to anyone thinking about coming to live in Germany: don't. Yet its message to those who want to come to Germany to work is: we need you. This might sound like a contradiction, but it is a revival of the thinking that drove the 'guest worker' programme of the postwar boom years. Between 1955 and 1973, West Germany sought to rebuild its economy by attracting labour, mainly from Turkey but also from Italy, Portugal and Yugoslavia. Yet it did so without giving much consideration to the human needs of the people coming. Repeating that experiment, and the social tensions it created, at this moment would be even worse. The Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) fuelled record growth and labour shortages. Now, Germany's economy is in recession, but it desperately needs people to fulfil basic public services. Above all, it needs them to help finance its mounting pensions bill. Given that Germany has also become ground zero for Europe's heightened sensitivity around immigration after the backlash that followed Angela Merkel's open-door policy towards Syrian refugees a decade ago, it's worth paying attention to how Berlin navigates the issue. So far, Merz is providing a masterclass in what not to do. On the one hand, the conservative chancellor is fuelling rightwing narratives that suggest migration is a threat to the country. On the other, he speaks as the voice of German business and pleads for more foreign workers. 'We need skilled immigrants as drivers of progress,' Merz said this month, at a ceremony to honour the contributions of Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin – the Turkish immigrants behind Covid vaccine pioneer BioNTech. He added that anti-immigration 'ideologies' were a threat not just to Germany's prosperity 'but even worse, their narrow-mindedness threatens the future of our liberal order'. But his government has sent exactly the kind of signal he claims to decry. Germany has continued with a new policy of rejecting asylum seekers at its borders, despite a court order calling it unlawful and a violation of EU law. The border rejections standoff comes despite a dramatic decline in refugees – up to April 2025, the figures were down by nearly half from the previous year. Another leg of Merz's anti-migration strategy is to put an end to 'turbo naturalisation', which allows newcomers the opportunity to apply for a German passport after as little as three years in select cases. The official justification is that ending fast-track citizenship will eliminate a 'pull factor' and reduce illegal migration. But obtaining citizenship and skirting migration rules have nothing to do with one another. Crossing the border as an irregular migrant can be an act of desperation, and at times opportunism. Getting a German passport requires legal residency at the very least, but also involves various hurdles and a significant amount of paperwork. The fast-track procedure is even more discretionary and reserved for people that exhibit 'exceptional integration efforts', such as speaking German at an advanced level, consistently paying taxes and taking part in the community, for example by volunteering at local charities or sports clubs. Eliminating that route, which only opened in June 2024, will have very little impact. Last year – when a rush to take advantage of the new process might have been expected – only about 7% of people receiving German citizenship had an accelerated application, according to federal statistics agency Destatis. But Merz's moves reinforce the narrative that Germany is being overwhelmed by newcomers. The approach bolsters the far-right AfD – a close second in the polls – which has called for the deportation of thousands of people, including some with migrant backgrounds who hold German citizenship. Controlling entry is legitimate, but such grandstanding policies fuel xenophobic sentiment and don't allay the worries of anxious citizens. Also, the political dividends are limited. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion While the fevered discussion around migration has kept it as the top issue for Germans, only 38% of people ranked it as one of their three main concerns, which is four percentage points lower than in April, according to an Ipsos survey. Economic concerns such as inflation and poverty/inequality are the other top concerns. The harder-to-face reality is that Germany could use all the help it can get. With older Germans heading into retirement by the millions over the coming decade, the country must welcome a net 400,000 newcomers each year to keep things balanced and shoulder the rising cost of pensions. But this isn't the postwar era, where Germany can sign agreements with poorer countries and expect thousands to arrive. There's global competition for qualified workers, and Germany is at a disadvantage because of its language and its reputation for being unwelcoming. That's a legacy from the mismanaged Gastarbeiter (guest worker) programme, when Germany had neither a plan for how to integrate the people it lured for work, nor the desire to do so. It also reflects a national identity left narrow and underdeveloped due to its Nazi past. The former footballer Mesut Özil, born in 1988 to a Turkish guest-worker family in Germany's Ruhr Valley, never felt fully accepted. Though he played a starring role in Germany's 2014 World Cup win, he said: 'When we win, I'm German; when we lose, I'm a foreigner.' His story shows how acceptance is out of reach for many. And it's not isolated. According to a recent study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, between 2015 and 2022, 12 million people migrated to Germany. The study also said that, in the same period, more than 7 million migrants left again. The main reasons were difficulties feeling part of German society. The next blow could be looming. According to a study by Germany's Institute for Employment Research, a quarter of migrants in the country – around 2.6 million people – are considering packing up and leaving. Germany's self-imposed isolation will lead to a slow erosion of the labour force unless it is urgently addressed. Revising the narrative around migration to recast it as part of the solution would be a good starting point. But the political class hardly looks ready. As Markus Söder, the conservative premier of Bavaria, recently told the rightwing media outlet NiUS: 'Of course we need immigration– unfortunately.' Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes are the co-authors of Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany's Descent Into Crisis. Both cover Germany from Berlin and Frankfurt, respectively, for Bloomberg News Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Dropping kebab scraps in rat-infested Berlin could mean €25k fine
Tourists in Berlin face fines of up to €25,000 for dropping kebab scraps on the street as the German capital tries to get to grips with a plague of rats in its party district. Hermannplatz is the start and end point for many a wild night in the German capital, which is famous for parties that can go on for days. The square sits above one of the busiest subway stations in the city, with revellers streaming out to the bars and clubs of the surrounding district of Neukölln. More recently, however, the square has become host to more unwelcome guests – an infestation of rodents. This week, local authorities started a campaign to bring the rodent population under control. City officials put up posters in three languages, including English, on the square that said: 'Don't feed rats.' The campaign is accompanied by penalties that threaten people with fines of up to €25,000 (£21,300) for failing to put their food waste in bins, or for feeding the pigeon population. The measure is set to outstrip a €10,000 littering fine in Parma, making it the toughest penalty for public littering in Europe. Hannes Rehfeldt, the district councillor for social affairs and health, said: 'We humans create the best living conditions for rats. Their population depends on our behaviour. That is why the clear message from the Neukölln district authority is: don't feed rats.' Starting next month, public order officials will patrol the square in order to catch offenders as the city tries to reduce the quantities of rubbish off which the rats are feeding. Local authorities say that the problem has become so bad that there is a serious threat that the rodents could spread diseases such as rabies and hepatitis. Berlin is believed to have a population of at least two million rats, a typical number for a city of its size. However, in recent years authorities have had to close several play parks because of rat infestations caused by food waste. In the 1920s, Hermannplatz was home to one of Germany's most glamorous shopping malls, the Karstadt Kaufhaus, which was destroyed in the Second World War. In its modern incarnation, the square has a reputation as a meeting spot for drug addicts and a place to buy a cheap kebab on the way back from a night out.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Germany rejects Russian allegations of journalist harassment
BERLIN, June 27 (Reuters) - A German foreign ministry official on Friday rejected "unfounded accusations" made by Russia's foreign ministry that Berlin had persecuted Russian journalists working in the country. "In contrast to Russia's increasingly harsh repression of journalists, Germany upholds the principles of the rule of law and freedom of the press," the official said in a statement. Russia summoned the German ambassador earlier on Friday to inform him of retaliatory measures in response to what it sees as the harassment of Russian journalists based in Germany, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. In a statement, the Russian ministry said the German ambassador, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, was informed that "Berlin should not continue the practice of systematic harassment of Russian journalists in Germany." Such "open unfriendly actions by the German authorities will inevitably be met with a response from the Russian side," the ministry said. Lambsdorff was quoted by the Izvestia outlet as saying the meeting, which lasted over two hours, was "interesting." "We discussed the working conditions of our correspondents. We will continue this dialogue."
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
China's rare earths are flowing again, but not freely
BERLIN/BEIJING, June 27 (Reuters) - The threat of mass shutdowns across the automotive supply chain is fading as Chinese rare earth magnets begin to flow, though automakers and suppliers say production plans still face uncertainties and a continued risk of shortages. European suppliers have received enough licences to avoid the widespread disruptions predicted earlier this month but hundreds of permits remain pending, said Nils Poel, head of market affairs at supplier association CLEPA. The rate of issuance is "accelerating" and has risen to 60% from 25%, he said, but cases where the end users are based in the United States, or where products move through third countries like India, are taking longer or not being prioritised. "Overall the feeling is that we probably will still have production in July and that the impact will be manageable," he said. "Maybe here and there a production line will be affected, but we have avoided that for the moment." Volkswagen ( opens new tab said in a statement to Reuters its supply of rare earth components was stable while rival Stellantis ( opens new tab said it had addressed its immediate production concerns. China restricted exports of seven rare earths and related magnets in April in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. Three months later there remains huge uncertainty about how it intends to police its opaque and complex export licensing system. Since the restrictions were imposed, rare earth magnet exports from China have fallen roughly 75%, forcing some automaker production lines to halt in Asia, Europe and the United States. The White House said on Thursday it had signed a deal with China to speed up rare earth approvals without providing details. Beijing said hours later both parties had confirmed details of the deal struck in London earlier this month, which was meant to resolve the rare earth issue, and it would process export licences in accordance with the law. Neither party detailed any changes to the existing export licensing system. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network on Friday that, under the agreement announced on Thursday, rare earth shipments to the United States from China would be expedited to all companies that have previously received them on a regular basis. "I am confident now... the magnets will flow," Bessent said. "This is a de-escalation." Two weeks ago the car industry was in a "full panic," but licence approvals by China have sped up and there is now less threat of a sudden stop, according to an executive at a leading U.S. automotive supplier and a source with knowledge of the supply chain at a major European carmaker. Both asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. China is approving the "bare minimum" of critical licences for European firms to avoid production stoppages, a European official told Reuters, also speaking on condition of anonymity. U.S. magnet maker Dexter Magnetic Technologies, which has defence clients, among others, has received just five of 180 licences since April, CEO Kash Mishra told Reuters, adding those were intended for non-defence sectors. "It's an extended delay," he said. "It's 45 days trying to get the paperwork right for the supplier, and then it's 45 more days or so before any licences are granted."
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Porsche considers selling MHP, possible valuation of over 1 bln euros, Handelsblatt reports
BERLIN, June 27 (Reuters) - Porsche (P911_p.DE), opens new tab is looking to sell its consulting and IT services business MHP, which could possibly be valued at over 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion), the German business daily Handelsblatt reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Porsche was not immediately available for comment. Handelsblatt cited the German carmaker as saying it was "continuously reviewing potential optimisations for its investments." ($1 = 0.8540 euros)
